Motor leakage current detector, devices using same and related methods

ABSTRACT

A motor leakage current detector and/or a heat compensating circuit, devices using same and related methods are disclosed herein. Included are a uniquely wired current transformer to allow for polarity agnostic leakage current detection, a leakage current detector using same and having a notifier to alert a user. In other forms, an accessory power cord and power strip are disclosed capable of detecting early motor failure conditions. In still other forms, other machinery failure early warning systems are disclosed as are numerous motor operated devices using same including without limitation pumps.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No.63/004,356, filed Apr. 2, 2020, and U.S. Provisional Application No.63/166,131, filed Mar. 25, 2021, both of which are incorporated hereinby reference in their entirety.

FIELD

The present disclosure generally relates to an apparatus and methods fordetecting a failure condition in an electric motor driven device and/orfor addressing heat issues related to circuits, and, more particularly,to apparatus and methods for detecting leakage current in a motor drivendevice when the motor driven device is not operating and addressing heatdissipation issues in a circuit, and devices using the above, andrelated methods to same.

BACKGROUND

Electric motor driven devices have been used for many years and have awide range of applications. Many applications require the motor to turnon automatically and operate when certain conditions are present. Oftenin these applications, the failure of the motor to operate when theconditions are present has undesirable effects. It thus is desirable toknow when a motor is predisposed to or starting to fail, so theundesired effects of a motor failure can be avoided. While there aremany different types of motor driven devices and applications where thefailure of a motor has undesirable effects, one example is a submersiblesump pump. Many homeowners place submersible sump pumps in the sump pitsin the basement of their home. When the water level in the sump pitrises to a certain level (e.g., when it rains), the pump will turn onand transport the water to a different location. If the sump pump failsand does not turn on, the homeowner's basement may flood and causedamage to the things in the homeowner's basement such as carpet ordrywall. Electric sump pumps are generally powered via an AC powersource that plugs into a home's AC power supply (or mains electricity,domestic power, grid power, etc.).

Many common issues of sump pump failure are known, and many improvementshave been made to sump pump technology. A common problem among sumppumps is that the mechanical float switch that detects the height of thewater corrodes or otherwise breaks down over time and fails. Thisresults in the pump failing to run even when the water level risesbeyond the maximum allowable level. Some solutions to this problem havebeen to use a solid-state fluid level sensor or a pneumatic fluid levelsensor rather than a mechanical float. This reduces the number ofmechanical parts that are exposed to water that cause the mechanicalfloats to fail. Indeed, float switch failure is the most common problemassociated with sump pumps and reason for their failure, however, thereare other problems that can occur that are harder to detect.

The next leading problem for pumps is motor failure caused by difficultto detect problems such as compromised insulation systems and/or waterintrusion into the pump. These may be due to problems with the pottingmaterial used to encase the motor and waterproof it, or due to cracks inthe motor housing, etc. For example, water intrusion can be caused bythe failure of a seal which allows water to leak into the motor cavity.Once water gets to the motor cavity, the insulation around the motorwindings begin to gradually deteriorate causing a variety of electricalproblems for the motor, such as a short circuit or ground fault. Whilethe pump may continue to run for some period of time, once water getsinto the motor, the motor of the pump will likely fail in the nearfuture. These types of problems are not currently detected until thepump fails which is too late, particularly if the failure occurs whenthe pump is needed most in a storm or flood condition.

Before discussing how the leakage current detector operates, the causeof the existence of leakage current will first be explained. Motors havewindings that are encased in insulation. The insulation may be made ofany material that is non-conducting, including non-conducting varnishes.This provides an insulative barrier between the motor windings and themotor housing or the cavity walls in which the motor is placed in. Theinsulative barrier prevents the motor windings from short circuitingacross the windings or from leaking current to ground through the motorhousing or other components that the motor may be near. Once in contactwith water, the motor insulation degrades and deteriorates. This allowscurrent to flow through or leak out of the motor through the degradedportion of the motor insulation. This can not only result in dangerousconditions, but also indicates that the motor will no longer operateproperly once the degradation of the motor winding insulation hasprogressed further. The motor insulation may degrade due to age or otherenvironmental conditions, not just due to contact with water. Thus, ithas become important to know when this failure or degradation occurs sothat action may be taken to prevent motor failure at an inopportunetime.

Similarly, motors are often encased in epoxy resin to waterproof thehousing and/or protect electronics therein. This resin can breakdownover time as well and cause some of the same problems as those discussedimmediately above. Thus, having the ability to detect motor leakagecurrent and to monitor other features of the motor as will be discussedherein are very important and useful to detect issues in advance of thembecoming major problems so that they can be reported to a user prior toany damage being done.

Systems to detect leakage current exist, however, many systems requirethe motor to be running for leakage current to be detected. This isproblematic in applications where a motor is only running when certainconditions are present, e.g., when water reaches a certain level. Usingmany of the existing leakage current detection systems, it could only bediscovered that a motor exhibits failure conditions once the conditionsrequiring the motor to operate are present, which is often too late.

Another limitation of existing leakage current detection system is thatthe system must know with certainty which conductor is the Neutral andwhich is the Line or Hot conductor. Standard electrical outlets in theU.S. are designed to provide this information, with code defining thatthe big prong receptacle on an electrical outlet is Neutral and thesmall prong receptacle is Line. Normally code also requires the wiringto be color coded (e.g., line/hot is black wire, neutral is white wire,ground wire is plain copper wire, etc.). Unfortunately, in many homesand buildings in the United States, care has not been taken to ensurethat the electrical outlets are wired properly (e.g., sometimes wiresare hooked to wrong prongs, sometimes a white wire is marked withelectrical tape to indicate it is being used as a line/hot wire insteadof neutral, etc.). Thus, when using many of the existing leakage currentdetection systems with electrical outlets that are wired backward,leakage current is not able to be detected. This results in motors notbeing identified as exhibiting motor failure conditions, ultimatelyresulting in an unexpected motor failure.

Another problem with conventional circuits is their inability to addressor dissipate heat in circuits, particularly those having an alternatingcurrent (“AC”) switch. In some devices, thermal cutoff switches are usedto prevent a circuit from overheating and/or doing damage to thecircuitry (or one or more components of the circuitry). This interruptsuse of the circuit or device associated with same which is notdesirable. In alternate forms, large heatsinks are used to address theheat, but these can be expensive and/or require valuable space to betaken-up with the heatsink.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Described herein are embodiments of systems, methods and apparatus foraddressing shortcomings of known sump pumps.

This description includes drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is an exemplary block diagram for a leakage current detector inaccording with aspects of the invention;

FIG. 2 is an exemplary circuit diagram for a leakage current detectorused in connection with a pump;

FIG. 3 is an alternate exemplary circuit diagram for a leakage currentdetector in accordance with aspects of the invention;

FIGS. 4A-C are top perspective, bottom perspective, and partial cutawayviews, respectively, of a smart power cord assembly in accordance withaspects of the invention illustrating the power cord with one half ofthe housing removed in FIG. 1C to show internal components;

FIGS. 5A-B are top plan views of an alternate smart power cord inaccordance with the invention illustrating the housing in FIG. 5A andillustrating the housing with a detailed overlay applied thereto in FIG.5B;

FIG. 6 is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary leakage currentdetection routine in accordance with aspects of the invention;

FIG. 7 is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary conductor test routinein accordance with aspects of the invention;

FIG. 8 illustrates exemplary uses for the smart power cord disclosedherein and illustrates how it may be used with any motor driven device;

FIGS. 9A-C are front elevation, left-side elevation, and right-sideelevation views, respectively, of an exemplary smart AC powered sumppump in accordance with aspects of the invention that utilize a leakagecurrent detector and notifier;

FIG. 10 is a right-side elevation view of an alternate smart AC poweredsump pump similar to that shown in FIGS. 9A-C, but illustrating analternate way in which the fluid level sensor housing may be mounted tothe pump;

FIG. 11 is a front perspective view of an alternate battery back-up pumpsystem utilizing the smart AC pump and smart power cord (or smartcontroller) disclosed herein along with a battery back-up DC pump, andillustrating a wireless communication interface between the smartcontroller and a smart battery;

FIG. 12 is an exemplary circuit diagram for a leakage detector of analternate configuration used in connection with a pump.

Corresponding reference characters in the attached drawings indicatecorresponding components throughout the several views of the drawings.In addition, elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity andclarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, thedimensions of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggeratedrelative to other elements to help to improve understanding of variousembodiments. Also, common but well-understood elements that are usefulor necessary in a commercially feasible embodiment are often notdepicted or described in order to facilitate a less obstructed view ofthe illustrated elements and a more concise disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

This disclosure is directed to various apparatuses, systems, and methodsfor leakage current detection and applications of same including withoutlimitation an apparatus or device that detects whether leakage currentin an electric motor, which may indicate to a motor operator that themotor exhibits conditions indicating the motor is predisposed to orstarting to show signs it is going to fail. The devices, systems andmethods disclosed herein are for identifying when a failure condition ispresent in a device, such as an electric motor driven/operated device,and notifying a user of the failure condition. The identified failureconditions may even be further analyzed and categorized as indicatingthat failure is imminent or that failure conditions are present, butimmediate failure is not likely. In preferred forms, the apparatuses,systems and methods disclosed herein can conduct the leakage currentdetection test while the device is not in operation and provide earlywarning as to motor failure issues well in advance of a motor failureactually happening.

The devices, systems and methods of this disclosure may come in manyforms. For example, in FIG. 1 a block diagram of an exemplary embodimentis illustrated and referenced generally as smart controller 100 andincludes a leakage current detector 110 and notifier 120 for indicatingto the user a resultant of the test conducted by the smart controller100. The smart controller 100 is connected between a power supply 140(e.g., domestic power supply, grid power, mains electricity, etc.) and amotor 150.

In a preferred form, the notifier will be one of a visual and/or audibledevice for alerting the user as to an outcome of a test conducted by thesmart controller. The alerting may occur only if the leakage currentdetector 110 indicates early motor failure is detected, but in otherpreferred instances it may be configured to always provide a response(e.g., providing an alert of a first type if the motor has passed thetest conducted by the smart controller 100 and an alert of a second typedifferent than the first if the motor has not passed the test). Forexample, in a preferred form, the smart controller 100 will include alight or series of lights that provide a green light when the motor haspassed the test, a yellow light when early signs of motor failure aredetected and a red light when signs of urgent or imminent motor failureare detected. This can be accomplished in one multi-colored LED or itcan entail using separate LEDs if desired. In other forms a morecomprehensive display, such as a digital display, may be provided thatprovides additional information (e.g., text, images or symbols, etc.)regarding test results of the smart controller 100.

As mentioned above, the smart controller 100 may include an audiblenotifier 120 either in addition to the visual display or instead of thevisual display. In a preferred form, the smart controller 100 willinclude both audible and visual devices for communicating test resultsof smart controller 100 to the user. In the form show, the audible soundis generated by a buzzer or speaker and may be configured to provide onesound, such as a chirp, to acknowledge the depressing of inputs andanother sound, such as a longer and repeated beep or constant sound wheneither an early motor failure condition is detected, or an imminentmotor failure condition is detected by smart controller 100. In oneform, the smart controller will chirp when an early motor failurecondition is detected but change to a constant audible alert when a moreurgent motor failure condition is detected.

In the form shown in FIG. 1, the notifier 120 of smart controller 100may also include a communication circuit 130 for sending alerts or testresults from smart controller 100 to a user that is located remote fromthe smart controller 100. In some forms, this may be a wirelesscommunication module that alerts the user via a local area network (LAN)or wide area network (WAN). In a preferred form, the communicationmodule 130 will be a Wi-Fi enabled circuit that communicates the testresults to the remote user via a Wi-Fi network the smart controller 100is connected to so that the user may get the alerts on a mobile device,such as a smart phone. In alternate embodiments other forms of wirelesscommunication may be utilized such as radio frequency (RF), infrared(IR), Bluetooth (BT), Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), Near FieldCommunication (NFC), cellular, etc. While the preferred message will bein the form of text or graphics and text, in other forms an audiorecorded message may be utilized as well (or instead of the text)advising of the test results.

In a preferred form, the smart controller 100 is utilized with asoftware application (App) and is capable of monitoring voltage (V),current (A), current leakage to ground (leakage current) and phaseangle. The device 100 via a processor (e.g., either onboard or remotevia the cloud, etc.) can process the data to operate like anoscilloscope capturing both waveforms as well as phase angle betweenthem. By knowing and recording the V, A, leakage current and phaseangle, the smart controller 100 will be capable of detecting any of themotor driven device's parameters has fallen outside of normal levels.For example, a change in phase angle could indicate an issue with themotor's capacitor meaning the motor capacitor may need to be replaced.Unusual current may indicate the motor bearing is worn or rubbing andneeds attention, or that an obstruction is present and needs to becleared. Leakage current will indicate motor issues like those discussedherein (e.g., insulation breakdown, infiltration of fluid, etc.).Unusual voltage input can also be detected to alert of unstableconditions (e.g., poor power source or power cord, surge, etc.).

In FIG. 2, an exemplary circuit is shown for smart control 100. Forconvenience, items in this embodiment that are similar to thosediscussed in FIG. 1 will utilize the same latter two-digit referencenumeral but the prefix 2 instead of 1. Thus, the smart control of FIG. 2is referred to generally by reference numeral 200 (instead of 100 as wasused in FIG. 1), power supply 240 (instead of 140) and motor 250(instead of 150). In the circuit of FIG. 2, the smart control 200 isconnected between the power supply 240 and motor 250 of a sump pump 260located in a sump 261. The smart control 200 is connected to powersupply 208 via power cord 201 which in turn is connected to a powerresister, such as shunt resistor 211, a current transformer 212 andtriacs 213, 214 which collectively serve as part of the leakage currentdetector 210. The smart control 200 further includes a controller 202connected to an audible alarm 221, visual display, such as water levelLEDs 222 and pump status LED 223 and Wi-Fi status LED 224, andcommunication circuit, such as Wi-Fi module 230. Collectively theaudible alarm 221, LEDs 222, 223 and 224, and communication circuit 230serve as part of the notifier 220. Water level LEDs 222 illuminate torepresent how high the fluid level is in sump 261 (e.g., illuminatingmore LEDs as the water level rises). Preferably, multiple colors will beused to draw the user's attention to the fluid level LEDs 222 when thefluid level is getting critically high or too high representing apotential flooding condition. For example, in a preferred form, of thefive LEDs show, at least the fifth LED will illuminate in red while theothers illuminate in another color (e.g., blue, green, yellow, etc.) inorder to indicate that the water level is critically high. In someforms, multiple colored LEDs will be used such as green or blue for lowfluid level, yellow for intermediate fluid levels and red for high fluidlevel.

Pump status LED 223 illustrates if the pump is operating correctly andin a preferred form will include a multi-color LED capable of glowinggreen to indicate the pump is ok, glowing yellow to indicate the pumphas some problem with it (e.g., early motor failure conditions have beendetected, or any other anomaly with the pump such as an unusual currentor voltage draw possibly indicating an obstructed impeller, etc.) andglowing red to indicate the pump is not working correctly (e.g., anurgent motor failure condition has been detected by the testing of smartcontrol 200, or any other anomaly with the pump such as a thermalcut-off (TCO) switch has been triggered, extremely high or low voltagesor currents detected, etc.). Wi-Fi status LED 224 illustrates if thesmart control 200 is connected to Wi-Fi and/or the strength of thatsignal. In a preferred form Wi-Fi status LED 224 will be a multi-colorLED capable of glowing green when the smart control 200 is connected toWi-Fi and the signal strength is good, will glow yellow if the smartcontrol 200 is connected to Wi-Fi but the signal is weak, and will glowred if the smart control 200 is not connected to Wi-Fi. It should beunderstood, that multi-color LEDs may be replaced by multiplesingle-color LEDs if desired and/or that the smart control 200 couldalternatively be setup only to illuminate an LED when an error conditionis detected (e.g., only illuminate a fluid level LED to indicate thefluid level is too high, only illuminate a pump status LED when the pumpis not working or an imminent motor failure condition has been detected,only illuminate a Wi-Fi status LED to indicate the smart control 200 isnot connected to Wi-Fi, etc.).

As shown in FIG. 2, the smart control 200 includes an enclosure, such ashousing 203 and utilizes a user input 204 to allow the user to interactwith the smart control 200. In a preferred form, the user input 204 is amulti-purpose or multi-function button that allows the user to manuallyinitiate the smart control 200 to test the pump motor 250 of sump pump260. The input 204 may also be used by a user to mute the audible alarm221 if it is activated. The input 204 may further be used to sync thesmart control 200 to a local Wi-Fi network. In a preferred form, thesmart control 200 will be setup via the user downloading an app from asoftware application store (e.g., Apple's App Store, Google Play, etc.)and the user will use the app and the multi-function input 204 toconnect the smart control 200 to the local Wi-Fi and check the status ofthe smart control 200 remotely. In the form shown, the smart control 200further includes a pressure transducer 205 for operating as thepneumatic or air switch for detecting fluid level in sump 261. As willbe discussed in later embodiments, the pressure transducer will beconnected to an air chamber or housing via tubing to determine pressurechanges that reflect changes in the fluid level of sump 261.

In operation, smart controller 200 is capable of performing a leakagecurrent detection test while the motor 250 is not being operated becauseof the uniquely configured circuitry. As mentioned, this has the addedbenefit of reducing or minimizing background noise or interference thatthe operation of the motor would cause. The controller 202 uses triacs213, 214 to open one triac and thus power line (e.g., hot or neutral)and see if there is leakage to ground and then close that triac and openthe other triac and power line (e.g., neutral or hot depending on whichwas opened via the initial triac) to see if there is any leakage toground. If leakage to ground is detected, the smart control 200 willdetermine how critical the condition is and determine how to notify theuser of same. In a preferred form, if the leakage detected is 0.05 mA to0.1 mA, the smart control 200 will send an alert to the user viacommunication circuit 230 and change the pump status LED 223 to yellow.However, if the leakage detected is greater than 0.1 mA, the smartcontrol 200 will not only send the user an alert via communicationcircuit 230, but it will also trigger the audible alarm 221 and changethe pump status LED 223 to red indicating a more urgent motor failurecondition is present. These leakage current thresholds/ranges areexemplary and may be adjusted as desired for a particular motor operateddevice or application as desired.

As mentioned above, the inventions disclosed herein may be implementedin numerous different embodiments. As an example, an alternate moresimplistic circuit is illustrated in FIG. 3 for the smart control. Inkeeping with prior practice, items that are similar to those discussedabove will use the same latter two-digit reference numeral but beginwith the prefix 3 to distinguish this embodiment form other embodiments.Thus, in FIG. 3, the smart control is referenced generally by referencenumeral 300 which is connected between power supply 340 and motor 350.In this form, first and second triacs, 313, 314 respectively, are againin front of transformer 312, but the circuit also includes additionalresister or switch pairs 315, 317 and 316, 318 located behindtransformer 312. This circuit operates similarly to that of FIG. 2, butlacks some of the functionality and additional features associated withthe notifier/communication circuit, etc. In particular, isolationtransformer 312 is a dual primary current transformer with triac 313connecting the first primary coil (or Primary L (PR-L)) 312 a to line orhot 340 a and triac 314 connecting the second primary coil (or Primary N(PR-N)) 312 b to neutral 340 b. Again, that is assuming the wiring ofthe outlet the circuit is connected to is wired correctly. In operationthe secondary coil (or SEC.) 312 c is used with each coil 312 a, 312 bto conduct the leakage current detection test. First triac 313 is openedto test leakage current on neutral wire/line 340 b and second triac 314is opened to test leakage current on the line/hot wire/line 340 a. Thisallows the leakage current detection test to be conducted without theneed to have motor 350 operating. A benefit of this is that there isreduced or minimal background noise or interference when doing the testbecause the motor is not running. Not shown in the circuit is an audiblealarm device (e.g., buzzer, speaker, horn, etc.), input for userinterface and pressure transducer.

In looking at the leakage current detector of the circuit of FIG. 3 moreclosely, the connection between the leakage current detector 310 and theelectrical power supply lines of the motor 350 may be in the form of atransformer 312 placed in proximity to the Line wire and Neutral wirethat collectively power the motor 220. The transformer 312 may include afirst primary coil 312 a, a second primary coil 312 b, and one secondarycoil 312 c. The first primary coil 312 a is what should be the Lineconductor wound into a coil and the second primary coil 312 b, which isthe Neutral conductor, wound into a coil. While it should only benecessary for the Line conductor to be the only primary coil, both theLine and Neutral conductors, are used as primary coils, because itcannot be known with certainty whether the electrical outlet the motorhas been plugged into was wired correctly, i.e., that the Line is wiredto the small prong receptacle and the Neutral is wired to the largeprong receptacle. Using two primary coils allows the leakage currentdetector 310 to be indifferent to which power supply conductor is Lineor Neutral (e.g., polarity agnostic). The secondary coil 312 c is inclose proximity to the first and second primary coils 312 a, 312 b sothat current flowing in either the first or second primary coil 312 a,312 b induces current flow in the secondary coil 312 c. The secondarycoil 312 c has leads on either end of the coil that connect to the restof the leakage current detection circuit 310.

The leakage current detector 310 is capable of detecting small currents,specifically, currents below those which a ground fault circuitinterrupter (GFCI) or ground fault interrupter (GFI) will detect andinterrupt the circuit. Many GFCI/GFI devices will not allow current toflow to a device when the leakage to ground is greater than 6 mA. Theleakage current detector 310 may be designed and configured to detectcurrent flow below that which a GFCI/GFI will interrupt the circuit, todetect the early signs of motor failure, before the leakage current getsabove 6 mA. It should be understood that in other regions of the worldGFCI/GFI are referred to as residual-current devices (RCD) orresidual-current circuit breakers (RCCB).

The Line and Neutral conductors (or wires) may be connected to the Lineand Neutral terminals of an electric outlet, through a power cord. Theleakage current detection circuitry 310 further includes a first switch313 on the first conductor and a second switch 314 on the secondconductor. These switches 313, 314 are controlled by the leakage currentdetection circuitry 310 and allow the leakage current detectioncircuitry 310 to control whether each conductor is open or closed. Theseswitches 313, 314 may be switched to open or closed independently ofeach other.

The leakage current detector 310 may test the condition of the motor 350at set intervals. The condition of the motor 350 may also be detected bythe leakage current detector 310 at any period of time or when promptedto do so (such as by the user requesting such through an App or viaactuation of a physical button (like input 204). In one example, theleakage current detector 310 performs its test periodically, forexample, once a week, every 24 hours, every hour, every minute, every 30seconds, every second, etc., although other periods of time arecontemplated. In another example, the leakage current detector 310 isconfigured to test the motor 350 when another system of the motor drivendevice performs a diagnostic test. The leakage current detector 310 maybe configured to automatically perform a test on the motor 350 when themotor (or in the preferred case pump) is connected to a power supply340, e.g., when plugged into an outlet or power is restored.

In one embodiment, the leakage current detector 310 is configured totest the motor 350 immediately before the motor 350 is commanded to run.This could be in pump applications, for example, when water rises abovea predetermined level. This may be done to ensure the GFCI/GFI will nottrip and interrupt the circuit.

In another embodiment, the motor or pump system includes a push-buttonlike input 204 in the circuit of FIG. 2, which can be pressed, forexample, by a user to run the leakage current detection test. Thepush-button may also be used for any other test the system may beconfigured to run, for example, the push-button or another push-buttonmay be pressed to determine whether the battery is sufficiently charged.The push-button can also be used for one or more other functions,including, for example, to silence an alarm, deactivate a notification,re-set warning signals, start a test cycle, or the like.

As mentioned, one benefit of the leakage current detector disclosedherein (e.g., 110, 210, 310, etc.) is that the motor does not have to berunning to do the test. Another benefit is that it is configured to bepolarity agnostic so that it can make-up for situations where the wiringof the electrical socket the motor is connected to was not donecorrectly. To use such a tool, the motor need only be connected to thepower source and then, without needing to operate the motor, the leakagecurrent detector can test the circuit to see if there are signs of motorfailure (e.g., motor insulation breakdown, fluid breach into the motor,etc.). For example, in FIG. 3, the electric motor driven device andmotor 350 are connected to the power supply 340. The leakage currentdetector 310 receives a signal to test for leakage. This may be a signalprompted by the passing of a certain amount of time or initiated by theuser as discussed above. The leakage current detector 310 then closesswitch 313 and opens switch 314. This allows electricity to freely flowover the closed first switch 313 and to the Line conductor. If theinsulation of the motor 350 is still in good condition, there is noleakage current and no current will flow because the second switch 314is open and the circuit is not complete. If the insulation of the motorhas degraded or deteriorated to the point it has a low resistancethrough which current may flow, current will leak to the ground throughthe motor's insulation. This means that current will be flowing in theconductor coupled to the first switch. If the first switch 313 isconnected to the Neutral conductor instead of Line conductor (not whatis shown in the circuit of FIG. 3 but possible due to improper wiring inthe outlet), then no current will flow regardless of the condition ofthe insulation of the motor. The leakage current detection circuitry 310measures the amount of current that is flowing and may even record thisamount.

After measuring and recording the current flow, the leakage currentdetection circuitry 310 then opens the first switch 313 and closes thesecond switch 314. The leakage current detection circuit 310 thenmeasures and, if desired, records the flow of current. If the secondswitch 314 connects to the Line conductor (instead of Neutral conductorbecause of improper wiring), then current will flow if the insulation ofthe motor had degraded such that it has low enough resistance forcurrent to flow to ground. The leakage current detection circuit 310then determines whether the current flowing in the first or second testwas an acceptable amount. Some current may flow when the motor 350 isconnected to the Line conductor even if the motor insulation is in goodcondition. This can be because the motor insulation resistance is notinfinite, so some current will flow through the insulation to ground.Small amounts of this leakage current may be acceptable, and notindicate any immediate concern of the condition of the motor 350. If thecurrent flowing was greater than an acceptable amount, the leakagecurrent detection circuitry 310 may communicate this to a notifiercircuit (not shown but see 120 and 220). In another example, the leakagecurrent detection circuit 310 communicates the amount of current flowdetected to another circuit, such as the notifier circuit, which willthen determine if the amount of current flow is not acceptable.

In a preferred form, the circuit of FIG. 3 would also include a notifiersuch as that discussed with respect to FIG. 2. In a preferred form, thenotifier would provide a user with an alert when a failure condition hasbeen detected in the one or more devices plugged into the accessory or,in instances where the smart controller is integrated into an OEMproduct, the single device itself. The notifier is a notification systemto alert a user or another portion of the system that a leakage currenthas been detected or that some other fault has been detected withrespect to the pump (e.g., anomaly relating to current draw, voltagedraw, phase shift, etc.). The notifier circuit may be a separate circuitor a portion of the leakage current detector 310. The notifier may beconfigured to alert a user in response to a determination by the motorleakage current detector 310 that a leakage amount greater than apredetermined amount has been detected, for example, greater than 0.05mA. For example, the notifier may alert a user when an impermissibleleakage current is detected by sending an alert to notify the user oroperator. To alert the user when leakage current has been detected,there may be a light or multiple lights disposed on the top surface ofthe smart controller that light up when a failure condition has beendetected. In another example, there are two lights, each being adifferent color. The lights may be LEDs and may even be a singlemulti-colored LED. The first color light may be configured to illuminatewhen a failure condition is present, for example, the leakage currentdetection circuit 310 detected a current flow of 0.01-0.05 mA. Thesecond color light may be configured to illuminate when an imminentmotor failure condition has been detected, for example, when a leakagecurrent in the range of 0.05-0.6 mA has been detected. The smartcontroller may also include an audible device, such as a speaker or abuzzer, to alert the user to either of the two conditions, for example,by a sound such as a beeping or alarm noise. The speaker or buzzer maybe used in combination with a light illuminating to alert users to afailure condition or may be used by itself.

In another example, the notifier includes communication circuitry like130 discussed above in FIG. 1 configured to transmit a notification to auser. This may be performed using, as examples, one or more of wirelessfidelity (Wi-Fi), Cellular, radio frequency (RF), infrared (IR),Bluetooth (BT), Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), Zigbee and near fieldcommunication (NFC). Other wireless protocols may also be used. In oneexample the alert produced by the notifier is transmitted to a displayscreen viewable by an operator. This may be, as example, a computer orsmartphone screen.

The notifier may be configured to use more than one method ofcommunication to a user. In one embodiment, the wireless communicationcircuitry is configured to communicate via an Internet connection as theprimary way of notifying a user of a failure condition, but, if theInternet connection is not available, the communication circuitry may beconfigured to communicate via a direct wireless connection, such as NFCas an example. In another embodiment, the notifier both sounds an alarmthrough a speaker and sends a notification to a user's smartphonethrough the Internet over Wi-Fi when a failure condition has beendetected.

The notifier may be configured to categorize the degree of the motorfailure condition. For example, the notifier may send an alert when itdetects the leakage current is within a certain range, for example, lessthan 0.05 milliamps and configured to send an alarm when the current isdetected to be between 0.05 milliamps and 6 milliamps. The alert wouldnotify a user when a motor failure condition exists that does notrequire immediate attention, and the alarm would notify a user that animminent motor failure condition exists upon hearing or seeing thenotifier alarm. As examples, the alert may be a flashing LED, while thealarm may be an alarm sound playing through a speaker.

The categorization of the degree of seriousness of the motor failurecondition may be determined at least based in part on the amount ofleakage current flow. The amount of leakage current can be used tocategorize the leakage current to mean either a failure condition ispresent, or a failure is imminent. In a preferred form, the audibledevice will be a piezo alarm that goes off when a certain or firstleakage current threshold is met or exceeded. For example, if theleakage current detected is below 0.1 mA the piezo buzzer or alarm maychirp at a consistent interval to alert he user to the condition. If theleakage current detected exceeds a second threshold (e.g., over 0.1 mA)the chirp may get louder and/or more frequent or may even become aconstant sound to alert the user more urgently. In other forms, theaudible device may be configured to actuate only after a period of timehas passed since the fault or error condition was first detected andreported. For example, the system may be configured to alert the uservia the App initially and then use the audible device to escalate thematter by sounding an alarm after a period of time has expired since thefirst notice without any corrective action or measures being taken.

In FIGS. 4A-C, a smart power cord is shown with the smart controlcircuit illustrated in FIG. 3 above (meaning it is a more simplisticversion). In keeping with prior practice, features of this embodimentthat are similar to those discussed above will include the same lattertwo-digit reference numerals, but use the prefix 4 to distinguish thisembodiment from others. Thus, the power cord is referenced general aspower cord 401 and smart control 400. The smart control 400 of powercord 401 has an enclosure or body 403, and the power cord 401 has anelectrical plug 406 to connect the power cord 401 to a power supply(obviously the plug types will differ depending on the region of theworld this power cord 401 will be used). The enclosure or body 403includes a speaker opening 403 a and has a user input 404 for allowingthe user to interact with the smart control 400. The power cordcontinues on from the smart control 400 to the motor (not shown) on theopposite side of smart control housing 403 as the plug 406 is on, alongwith an air tube 405 a which is connected to the pressure transducer(not visible).

As can best be seen in FIG. 4C, the body or enclosure 403 encloses acircuit board 407 containing the audible device 421, power circuitry 408which drops the AC power down to DC for use by smart control 400,current transformer 412, pressure transducer 405, first triac 413 andsecond triac 414 and heatsink 409 which is connected to the powercircuitry 408 and triacs 413, 414 and, in a preferred form, also servesas the earth ground for a portion of the circuit. Thus, the line/hotwire 401 a and neutral wire 401 b of electrical power cord 401 come infrom the plug end 406 of the power cord 401 and connect to the printedcircuit board (PCB) 407, then are connected to the power circuitry 408,transformer 412 and exit the PCB 407 at an opposite end thereof. Theground wire 401 c comes in and connects to one end of heatsink 409 andexits the opposite end of the heatsink 409 before exiting thehousing/enclosure 403 and back into the power cord 401. The pressuretransducer tubing or air tube 405 a may connect to pressure transducer405 and exit the house adjacent or proximate the power cord 401 and,preferably, substantially or generally parallel thereto. In the formshown, the smart controller housing or enclosure 403 includes a receiversleeve 405 b to align the air tube 405 a passing through the enclosure403. In a preferred form, the receiver sleeve 405 b will actually servea strain relief role hindering the air tubing 405 a from being pulledout of the smart controller 400 or disconnecting from transducer 405. Inalternate forms, however, it should be understood that the air tubereceiver 405 b could alternatively be a tube coupling that allows asegment of air tubing to be connected between the transducer 405 to thecoupling and another segment of air tubing to be connected externally tothe smart control from the external portion of the coupling to the airtube housing located on the pump.

While FIGS. 4A-C illustrate the smart power cord 401, it should beunderstood that this power cord could be sold as an accessory to connectto existing electrical motor driven products to detect early motorfailure via leakage current detection. Alternatively, the smart powercord 401 may be a permanent or integrated feature included on the powercord of the motor driven devices, for example, manufactured as part ofthe power cord from the factory (instead of as a standalone component oraccessory, that may be attached by a user to their motor driven device).

In FIGS. 5A-B, an alternate form of the smart power cord is illustratedthat is configured for the circuit discussed above in FIG. 2. In keepingwith prior practice, features of this embodiment that are common toearlier ones will use the same latter two-digit reference numeral butuse the prefix 5 to distinguish this embodiment from others. Thus, thesmart power cord is referred to general by reference numeral 501 andincludes smart control 500. The power cord 501 enters the power controlhousing or enclosure 503 on one end and exits on another and preferablyopposite end with the air tube 505 a positioned proximate to the exitingportion of the power cord 501. The housing or enclosure 503 includes anaudible device opening, such as buzzer, speaker or horning opening 503a. Unlike the prior embodiment of FIGS. 4A-C, however, the embodiment ofFIGS. 5A-B has the user input 504 positioned proximate the audibledevice opening 503. Below that (as illustrated in FIGS. 5A-B), islocated the fluid level LEDs 522. In the form shown, those LEDs 522 arepositioned off to a side of housing 503 so that a graphical overlay 522a can be placed showing what the water level LEDs 522 are indicating asillustrated in FIG. 5B. As shown, the graphical overlay 522 a displaysan inverted pyramid indicating the detected water level. As the waterlevel rises, the LEDs associated with a level indicated by the graphicaloverlay 522 a may light up. For example, when the water level is low,only the lowest LED is lit. As the water level increases, the LEDs maysequentially light up until the water level is high, at which point theuppermost LED illuminates. The LEDs 522 may be multi-color LEDs thatilluminate a color indicating a severity associated with the detectedwater level. As one example, if the water level is low, the LEDs thatare lit may be green. When the water level is high, the LEDs may be redand may be flashing to indicate to the user that the water level ishigh. When the water level is in between low and high levels the LEDsmay be yellow or orange as examples. In one form, the LEDs areconfigured to illuminate only a single color. For example, the uppermostLED associated with a high water level may illuminate red when lit. Thelower LEDs may illuminate a color indicating a lower level of severitysuch as blue or green.

Next, the pump status LED 523 is positioned preferably centered on thehousing and with room for graphical information 523 a below or above theLED 523 as illustrated in FIG. 5B. As one example, the graphicalinformation may display “Pump Status,” “Green—OK”, Yellow—Failing,” and“Red—Replace.” The pump status LED 523 may accordingly be a multi-colorLED configured to illuminate a certain color to indicate to the user thestatus of the pump. The pump status may be determined by evaluating andweighing a plurality of inputs. For example, the pump status may bebased on one or more of a water level, elapsed time, pump run time,current draw, supply voltage, inrush current, power factor, and detectedamount of leakage current. The smart power cord processes the data andpresents a status of the pump based on one or more measured conditionsto provide the end user with a simple indication of the status of theirpump. In some forms, the smart power cord may communicate the data to aremote processing device such as a server computer for processing and adetermination of the pump status. The smart power cord may receive thepump status from the remote processing device and display the pumpstatus via the pump status LED 523 to the end user.

The Wi-Fi status LED 524 is located next and preferably centered withroom to provide graphical information 524 a below or above as well (likeillustrated in FIG. 5B). As one example, the graphical information 524 amay display “Wi-Fi Status,” “Green—OK,” “Yellow—Connecting,” and “Red—NoConnection.” The Wi-Fi status LED 524 may accordingly be a multi-colorLED configured to illuminate a certain color to indicate to the user theWi-Fi connectivity status. The power cord 501 then exits the smartcontrol housing 503 along with air tube 505 a. In this way, the powercord 501 and air tube 505 a can easily be coupled to one another via aconnector, such as a cable tie/zip tie if desired, so as to maintain aclean looking configuration.

FIGS. 6 and 7 illustrate flow charts for a preferred form of operationof the smart controls illustrated herein. In FIG. 6, a leakage currenttest routine starts at step 680 and a leakage current test is performedon the first and second conductors (e.g., Line and Neutral wires) instep 681. In step 682, the routine asks if a leakage current issueexists. If not, the routine returns to start 680. If so, the routinealerts the user in step 683 and then ends in step 684 until the nextleakage current test is to be conducted at which time the routine startsback over at step 680. In FIG. 7, an exemplary test sub-routine is shownthat may be used by the routine of FIG. 6 to detect if a leakage currentissue exists. In the subroutine of FIG. 7, the routine starts at step690 and asks if the leakage current on either conductor tested is equalto or greater than 0.05 mA. If not, the routine ends at step 695. If so,however, the routine then checks to see if the leakage current detectedon either conductor is greater than 0.1 mA. If not, the routine alertsthe user in step 693 and ends via step 695. If it is greater than 0.1mA, the routine not only alerts the user, but also actuates an alarm instep 694 as a more critical motor failure has been detected and ends instep 695. As mentioned above, these threshold figures of 0.05 mA and 0.1mA are preferred for a pump application, but may be adjusted dependingon the application the test is to be used for (e.g., thresholds maydiffer depending on type of motor being tested, type of product beingtested, if higher or lower thresholds are desired for initiating alertsand/or alarms, etc.).

While the above embodiments show the smart control having power cordsextending from opposite ends, it should be understood that in otherembodiments, the smart control could alternatively have a power cord onone end and an electrical socket located elsewhere on the smart controlhousing that the power cord of an electric motor operated device wouldsimply be plugged into in order to get the benefit of the smart control.In this way, the smart power cord would be more of an accessory forattaching to existing electric motor operated devices.

In some forms, the smart power cord would have numerous such electricalsockets that electrical devices can be plugged into so that it operateslike a smart power strip capable of detecting early motor failure orcritical motor failure issues for all devices plugged into the strip.The power strip would be able to detect when one of the electric motoroperated devices plugged into it is exhibiting early or imminent motorfailure conditions and notify the user of same so that the user can testthe devices individually to determine which was exhibiting the motorfailure condition detected. Alternatively, LEDs may be provided by eachoutlet to indicate which device/power cord has exhibited the early orimminent/urgent motor failure concerns.

As mentioned above, however, in alternate forms the smart control wouldsimply be integrated into OEM products instead of being an accessory forsame. As also mentioned above, the smart controller may be used with anytype of electric motor operated device. For example, in FIG. 8applications for such a smart control 800 with power cord 801 includenumerous different appliances such as washers or dryers 870 or blenders871, vehicles 872 (e.g., electric vehicles), and other pumps 873. Thus,it should be understood that any motor operated device that couldbenefit from such a leakage current detection to detect early orimminent motor failure is intended to be covered by the disclosureherein.

As an example of an original OEM product having a smart controlintegrated therein (rather than as an accessory capable of beingconnected and disconnected therefrom), FIGS. 9A-C illustrate asubmersible pump having such a smart control. In keeping with priorpractice, the same latter two-digit reference numerals will be used foritems similar to those discussed above with the prefix 9. Thus, in thesefigures, the pump is referenced generally by reference numeral 960 andincludes a motor housing 962, cap 963, water handler, such as volute964, with a discharge outlet 964 a having an air switch mount or bracket965 for supporting an air switch housing 905 c and an outlet coupling966 to which a discharge pipe may be coupled. The pump 960 can be anytype of pump as mentioned above and may be a top suction type pump, abottom suction type pump or a combination of both as shown inApplicant's U.S. Patent Application Publication 2018/0128272, published,May 10, 2018, entitled Dual Inlet Volute, Impeller and Pump Housing forSame, and Related Methods, which is incorporated by reference herein inits entirety. The pump illustrated is a top suction pump with a filter967 located above the volute 964. The motor is sealed in the housing 962by epoxy resin and cap 963, however, it is these sealing features thatcan breakdown and lead to motor leakage current that ultimately leads tomotor failure. Hence, by pairing pump 960 with a smart controller 900affords the pump 960 the ability to provide early motor failuredetection and even imminent motor failure warnings.

In the form shown, the power controller 900 is configured on the circuitof FIG. 2 and layout of FIGS. 5A-B and the air switch housing 905 c ismounted to the pump 960 via a bracket that fits into the discharge 964 aof water handler or volute 964. In a preferred form, the air switchhousing 905 c fastens to the mount or bracket 965 via depressible clipsor hooks that can easily be squeezed together to release the housing 905c from mount or bracket 965 if desired such as for assembly, repair orreplacement. The clips engage mating surfaces formed by recesses in theair housing mount or bracket 965 to secure the air switch housing 905 cto the bracket 965. Coupling 966 has male threading that allows it to beinserted through an opening in the air housing mount or bracket 965 andthreaded into mating female threading in outlet 964 a of waterhandler/volute 964 to secure (e.g., sandwich or clamp) the air housingmount bracket 965 between the coupling 966 and outlet 964 a of volute964.

As best seen in FIG. 9C, the air switch housing further includes aspacer 905 d that is used to ensure the air switch housing 905 c willmaintain adequate spacing from pump housing 962 regardless of what sizepump and pump housing is used. In alternate embodiments, however, theair switch housing 905 c may be connected to the pump in differentmanners. For example, in FIG. 10, an alternate pump is illustrated andreferenced as 1060. In this embodiment, the pump includes a capacitivefluid level sensor where the sensor housing 1005 c is connected to thepump 1060 via a fastener, such as one of the assembly bolts 1068 that isused to connect and secure the pump cap 1063, housing 1062, filter 1067and volute 1064 together. In the form shown, the sensor housing 1005 chas three protrusions or arms extending from the housing that definecoaxial openings through with the motor assembly bolt 1068 to capturethe air switch housing 1005 c on the bolt 1068 and preferably betweenthe motor cap 1063 and filter 1067. While the embodiment of FIG. 10shows a capacitive fluid level sensor, it should be understood that inalternate embodiments a pneumatic pressure sensor could be mounted tothe pump 1060 in a similar way, e.g., the air switch housing of thepneumatic pressure sensor could be similarly mounted to an exposed bolt1068 of the pump housing 1062.

In the form shown in FIGS. 9A-C and as best seen in FIG. 9B, the smartcontroller 900 will preferably have additional heatsinks 903 a, 903 bthat are visible on the exterior of housing 903 of the smart controller900. These additional heatsinks allow the electronics located withinhousing 903 to further dissipate heat generated from the power circuitryand mainly the transformer and triacs on the PCB. In alternate forms,external heatsinks such as 903 a, 903 b may not be used, however, in theinstant circuit they are in order to reduce heat associated with theproduct.

While the pump embodiments discussed up to now have been single pumpsystems, it should be understood that the smart controller disclosedherein may be used in multiple pump systems as well. For example, inFIG. 11 there is illustrated a battery back-up sump pump system. Inkeeping with practice, similar items in this figure will be marked withsimilar latter two-digit reference numerals and the prefix 11 will beadded to distinguish this embodiment from others. As shown, the systemincludes a first smart AC pump 1160 having a smart controller 1100 and abattery backup DC pump 1169 that is powered by a battery 1174 when poweris lost to the main AC pump 1160, such as due to a power outage, trippedbreaker/fuse or ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) or ground faultinterrupter (GFI) (also known as a residual-current device (RCD) orresidual-current circuit breaker (RCCB)).

In the form shown, battery 1174 is a smart battery such as a Lithium Ionbattery (Li-ion battery) with a wireless communication circuit capableof communicating with smart control 1100 of AC pump 1160. In a preferredform, the wireless communication technique used is Bluetooth (BT)communication, but in alternate forms it may be any other communicationtechnique like those discussed above (e.g., radio frequency (RF),Bluetooth low energy (BLE), near field communication (NFC), Wi-Fi,cellular, or other communication technique used by Internet of Things(IoT) devices, etc.). In this way, the smart battery 1174 is capable ofcommunicating to smart controller 1100 pertinent information relating tothe smart battery to alert the user to any anomaly detected with sameand vice versa (smart control 1100 is capable of communicating its databack to smart battery 1174). For example, the smart battery 1160 iscapable of communicating to smart control 1100 information regarding thebattery's voltage, amperage, state of battery health or state of health(SOH), state of battery charge or state of charge (SOC), etc., so thatthis information may be conveyed to the user via the app used inconnection with the smart control 1100. Thus, during normal operation(e.g., not a power outage or the like) the smart control 1100 can notonly relay information to the user regarding smart AC pump 1160, butalso relating to the battery back-up system.

In some forms, the smart control 1100 may have its own internal batteryto power itself even during a power outage so that it can continue toprovide information relating to the pump system or sump 1161. In suchinstances, the smart control 1100 could convey the information back tothe smart battery 1174 and allow the smart battery 1174 to relay thatinformation to the user via the app due to the ability of the back-upsystem to run off the battery power of smart battery 1174.

One benefit to the setup illustrated in FIG. 11 is that a simple batterycharger 1175 may be used with the system instead of needing somethingmore complex (more expensive, more energy consuming, etc.). Anotherbenefit is that Li-ion batteries are very easy to monitor in this wayand, thus, would be preferred for such applications. However, it shouldbe understood that in alternate embodiments, the battery charger couldbe battery backed-up smart charger as well and capable of communicatingwith any one or more of the AC pump 1160, DC pump 1169 and/or battery1174. In some embodiments, all the system components (e.g., ACpump/smart controller, DC pump, battery and battery charger) may besmart, however, that would be for a very high-end system. Normally, itwould be preferred to have smart controller 1100 and only one of thebattery 1174 or battery charger 1175 be “smart” as well (or equippedwith reporting/communication capabilities) in order to keep the costdown and of those, it would make most sense to have the smart battery asthe battery charger is not an essential component and would simplyuse-up more battery that could otherwise be focused on the operation ofthe DC pump 1169.

In the above pump examples, the pumps include a fluid level detector tocontrol the pumping of fluid by the system. The fluid level detectormonitors the level of the fluid. When the fluid rises to or beyond apredetermined level, the fluid level detector is configured to detectthe rise in fluid and cause the power cord accessory 100 to turn onand/or deliver power to the pump motor. The fluid level detector may bea pneumatic pressure tube or switch. More details of such a switch maybe found in Applicant's U.S. Patent Application Publication Nos.2017/0175746, published Jun. 22, 2017, entitled Integrated Sump PumpController With Status Notifications; and 2018/0163730, published Jun.14, 2018, entitled Pump Communication Module, Pump System Using Same andMethods Relating Thereto, which are hereby incorporated by reference intheir entirety. In the forms shown, a tube may be connected to thetransducer and pass through the air tube receiver and down into a sumppit. Use of a pneumatic pressure switch reduces (if not eliminates) thenumber of moving mechanical parts, which can result in an increase insystem reliability. The pressure tube has a pressure tube inlet, and isconnected to a switch device (e.g., the transducer), which may becontained within the smart controller as shown previously.

Such systems may evoke additional steps to ensure that the air tube isback to atmospheric pressure. For example, the pneumatic pressure switchsystem can be configured to flush air after a predetermined period torecalibrate and eliminate problems with condensation build-up or tubeleakage. The pneumatic pressure fluid level detection system mayalternatively employ sensors that are adapted to operate so that thewater level is held below an opening. In this manner the fluid level inthe sump pit maintains a certain level with respect to the fluid levelin the tube (e.g., the pit and tube fluid levels do not have to be equalor level with one another, but rather simply correlate with one anotherso that the level in the tube can be used to calculate a correspondinglevel of fluid within the pit). Further, in some examples, the systemswill be configured to turn on after a predetermined time so that the airin the tube returns to atmospheric pressure. In a preferred form, thesystem will be configured to detect when the pressure reading from theair switch indicates a high fluid level has been reached, will operatethe pump to draw fluid down and then will stop the pump once asubstantially constant pressure reading has been reached as that willmean the air switch has returned to atmospheric pressure. The reason aparticular pressure value is not looked for in determining when to stopthe pump but rather a constant pressure is that looking for a particularpressure value would require the pump to be calibrated (possibly often)and would require knowledge of where the pump will be used or in whattype of application as the particular pressure value might be differentbased on elevation or application (e.g., is it used on a regular sumppump application, is it being used in a sealed radon sump system, etc.).By not requiring a specific or particular pressure value to be lookedfor and rather just a generally or substantially constant pressure valueto be seen, the system does not have to worry about these otherdetails/factors and simply knows this means to shut the pump off whenthis condition is detected.

In still other forms, a solid state fluid level switch may be used suchas those disclosed in Applicant's U.S. Pat. No. 8,380,355, U.S. PatentApplication Publication No. 2013/0156605, published Jun. 20, 2013,entitled Capacitive Sensor and Method and Apparatus for Controlling aPump Using Same, and U.S. application Ser. No. 13/768,899 (Mayleben et.al.), which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.

While various example pump embodiments have been disclosed, it should beunderstood that the disclosed subject matter may be broadly applied toother forms of pumps, for example, single flow or discharge utilitypumps, well pumps, lawn pumps, sewage pumps, pool pumps, etc. Forexample, pumps such as Applicant's utility pumps illustrated in U.S.Patent Application Publication Nos. 2017/0030371, published Feb. 2,2017, entitled Multi-Outlet Utility Pump, and 2019/0048875, publishedFeb. 14, 2019, entitled Thermally Controlled Utility Pump and MethodsRelating to Same, which are incorporated herein by reference in theirentirety.

Again, while a pump has been primarily used as an example applicationfor the disclosed invention, it should not be assumed that thedisclosure is limited to submersible pump applications, but rather canbe broadly applied to any motor driven device. The above principles maybe used to detect when motor driven machinery will fail or that itexhibits signs indicating a failure will occur in the near future orthat failure is imminent. The machinery may be plugged into a power cordaccessory which is plugged into the wall outlet or a power strip withsuch technology. Alternatively, the machinery may be built to include aleakage current detector and notifier discussed in this disclosurewithin the machinery. In either example, the leakage current detectortests the machinery's motor before the motor is run. The leakage currentdetector determines if any leakage current exists and to what extent. Ifthe leakage current falls within the range that indicates any type offailure condition is present, then the notifier of the machinery or thepower cord accessory will alert the machinery operator of this failurecondition, so they may be aware that the machinery may fail, allowingthe operator to take appropriate action. The machinery may include awarning system that the notifier circuit communicates with to alert ornotify the operator or machinery supervisor that a machinery failurecondition has been detected.

In an alternative embodiment, a smart control including circuitry asillustrated in FIG. 12 may be used. The smart control 1200 of thisembodiment is similar to the smart control 200 discussed above in regardto FIG. 2, the differences of which are highlighted in the followingdescription. In keeping with prior practice, items that are similar tothose discussed above will use the same latter two-digit referencenumeral but begin with the prefix 12 to distinguish this embodiment fromother embodiments. Thus, in FIG. 12, the smart control is referencedgenerally by reference numeral 1200 which is connected between powersupply 1240 and motor 1250. In this embodiment, the smart control 1200includes an AC switch, such as triac 1252, in parallel with a normallyopen relay on the Line wire after the transformer 1212. The triac 1252may be controlled by the controller 1202 to provide power the pump 1260when the controller 1202 determines that the pump 1260 must be run, forexample, when the water level within the sump pit 1261 is above athreshold. Since the pump 1260 often will only operate for a few secondsat a time, the heat generated by the triac 1252 that delivers power tothe pump 1260 is able to be dissipated without the need for a heat sinkattached to the triac 1252. In a preferred form, triac 1252 will be anoptotriac or solid-state relay (SSR) which allows a low-power DC controlcircuit to switch on AC power to an AC device like pump 1260 whilepreventing the low-power DC components from being exposed to the ACpower and without the need for a more expensive transformer.

In situations where the pump 1260 needs to run for a longer period oftime, the triac 1252 may generate too much heat to be adequatelydissipated between run cycles. Instead of using a large and/or expensiveheat sink to aid in heat dissipation for these situations, the smartcontrol 1200 of this embodiment includes a relay 1254 in parallel withthe triac 1252. The controller 1202 may be in communication with atemperature sensor 1256 that monitors the temperature of the triac 1252.When the temperature of the triac 1252 is above a threshold temperature(e.g., 60 degrees Celsius) and/or the triac 1252 is powered on by thecontroller 1202 for a certain period of time, the controller 1202 mayturn off the triac 1252 and close the normally open relay 1254. Power isthen supplied to the pump 1260 via the relay 1254 while the triac 1252is off, thus allowing the triac 1252 to cool.

In some forms, rather than turning off the triac 1252, the controller1202 simply closes the relay 1254 with the triac 1252 still on. Thisreduces the heat generated by the triac 1252 while allowing the triac1252 to serve as the main conduit for powering the pump 1260. Thisreduces the burden on the relay 1254 as power (e.g., 120 VAC) isprovided to the pump 1260 via the both the relay 1254 and the triac1252. This aids in increasing the life of the relay 1254. In still otherforms, however, the relay provides a path of least resistance and, thus,the current passes through the relay rather than the triac 1252 becauseof the resistance associated with the triac 1252. This still offerssignificant benefits, however, in that the relay 1254 is not exposed todirect line voltage at start-up, but rather a reduced start-up voltageassociated with the internal resistance of the triac 1252. Thus, therelay 1254 is turned-on or activated much more gradually than if it wasexposed to direct alternating current (“AC”) line voltage at start-up.This protects the relay and prolongs the life by not exposing it to thehigher start-up line voltage it would otherwise be exposed to but forthe triac. For example, the more gradual or manageable start-up preventsdamage to the relay such as pitting that can cause relays to die earlierthan their desired life expectancy.

In another form, the controller 1202 turns on the triac 1252 to powerthe pump 1260 and then shortly after, closes the relay 1254 to providepower to the pump 1260. For instance, where the triac 1252 is above acertain temperature (e.g., 60 degrees Celsius) and the controller 1202determines that the pump 1260 must be powered, the controller 1202 mayfirst turn on the triac 1252 to provide power to the motor of the pump1260 and after a certain period of time (e.g., 20 ms) close the relay1254. Under this approach, the triac 1252 bears the brunt of the 120 VACpower that is used to turn on the motor 1250 of the pump 1260. Then therelay 1254 may be closed, which, being connected in parallel to thetriac 1252, aids in providing the power to the pump 1260 and reduces theamount of heat generated by the triac 1252. Turning the relay 1254 onafter the triac 1252 initially powers the pump 1260 aids in reducing thewear placed on the relay 1254 (e.g., pitting of the relay contact,extreme relay parameter operation, etc.) that would occur under the highcurrent draw associated with initially powering the pump 1260 andspecifically motor 1250.

Providing a relay 1254 in parallel with the triac 1252 also addsredundancy into the smart control 1200. For instance, if the triac 1252should fail, the controller 1202 may use the relay 1254 to deliver powerto the pump 1260. Thus, even if the triac 1252 fails, the pump 1260 maybe operated via the relay 1254. The smart control 1200 may be configuredto provide an error signal or notification indicating that the triac1252 of the smart control 1200 has failed and that the smart control1200 is in need of maintenance or replacement while still allowing theunit to operate in the meantime (e.g., if not a full redundantoperation, at least a limp-home feature that provides for someoperability). The opposite is true as well in that the triac 1252provides redundancy for the relay 1254. Thus, if the relay fails, thetriac will continue to allow the system to operate, however, it may haveto shutdown from time to time if heat build-up becomes a problem sincethe relay is no longer available to help address that issue. Inpractice, the relay 1254 will not be needed until the pump has beenrunning for an excessive period of time. In some forms this may begreater than ten seconds (10 s), however, in other forms it may be alower threshold such as six seconds (6 s).

In view of the above, it should be understood that numerous apparatus,systems and methods are disclosed herein. For example, in some forms,apparatus, systems and methods are disclosed for detecting motor leakagecurrent indicative of a failing motor so that early warning of thissituation may be provided without a pump owner or user experiencingfailure that might otherwise lead to further damage (e.g., flooding ofan area, the cessation of a motor driven device during a critical timeof operations, etc.). In a preferred form, the apparatus, systems andmethods disclosed herein will alert the user to the problem withsufficient time to address same before it becomes a bigger problem. Inthis regard, one form of the apparatus, systems and methods disclosedherein involves monitoring leakage current to ground without needing themotor to be operated (or turned on) so that the line and neutral wirescan be checked for leaking to ground and alerting the user to thatsituation when it is detected well in advance of motor failure. In someforms, the apparatus, system and methods can alert the user when thepolarity of the outlet the motor is connected to is wired incorrectly(or the polarity the motor is exposed to is incorrect). In some formsthe apparatus, system and method will alert the user to the improperpolarity, such as by way of an audible alert and/or a visual alert(e.g., a buzzer, an illuminated light, etc.). In a preferred form, thealert will be provided via a message sent to the user's mobile devicealerting him/her to the early failure detection prior to it becoming amore serious issue.

In other forms, the apparatus, systems and methods disclosed hereinaddress heat issues circuitry may be exposed to due to operation of themotor driven device. For example, in one form, an AC switch is used toallow the motor driven device to operate off conventional AC linevoltage or power. Such switches can be exposed to excessive heatgeneration that can cause protective components or circuitry likethermal cutoffs (TCOs) to kick in to prevent the circuitry or motordriven device from overheating. For example, in the sump pump embodimentdisclosed above, a triac is used to serve as the AC switch. The triac iscapable of operating the pump for a reasonable period of time withoutgenerating excessive heat (e.g., six seconds, ten seconds, etc.). Whenexcessive heat is generated, the apparatus, system and method disclosedherein could simply use a thermal cutoff or TSO switch to shutdown themotor driven device, however, in a preferred form, the circuit willinclude a relay in parallel to the AC switch to allow the relay to closesuch that it diverts (or largely diverts) the current and power from thetriac to the relay to allow the triac to cool. This configuration allowsthe heat generation issue associated with the triac to be addressedwhile also allowing the relay to be powered-up or started more gently bynot exposing it to the brunt of the AC line voltage at start-up andinstead subjecting it only to the much lower start-up voltage associatedwith the resistive drop over the triac. This protects and prolongs thelife of the relay by preventing it from the damage or wear and tear thata relay normally sees when exposed directly to AC line voltage (e.g.,pitting, relay contact and/or terminal damage, etc.). Thus the circuithas a first switch in combination with a second switch wired generallyin parallel with the first switch so that the second switch may be usedto address heat issues associate with the first switch when necessary,and doing so in a way that protects or prolongs the life of the secondswitch during its operation. The terms first and second switch may beused generically to refer to either the triac or relay. In some formsdiscussed herein, the triac is simply called-out as the triac with therelay being referred to as the first switch wired in parallel with thetriac to takeover operation of the powering of the motor driven devicewhen the triac needs a break due to heat build-up.

What is claimed is:
 1. A polarity independent or agnostic leakagecurrent detector comprising: a current transformer having a firstprimary winding for electrical connection to a Line wire, a secondprimary winding for electrical connection to a Neutral wire, and asecondary winding for use with either the first primary winding or thesecond primary winding depending on which wire is being checked by thecurrent transformer for leakage current; the current transformer havingleads connected to the windings for connecting the current transformerto a circuit to test leakage current of a motor or motor driven deviceto allow the current transformer to perform a pre-failure diagnosticcheck on the motor or motor driven device without the need to have themotor or motor driven device activated to give advance notice of aproblem with the motor or motor driven device.
 2. The polarityindependent or agnostic leakage current detector of claim 1 wherein thecurrent transformer and the motor or motor driven device is connected toa one phase AC power supply.
 3. The polarity independent or agnosticleakage current detector of claim 1 wherein the polarity independent oragnostic leakage current detector includes a notification for notifyinga user when leakage current is detected above a predetermined level. 4.The polarity independent or agnostic leakage current detector of claim 3wherein the notification notifies the user when leakage current isdetected above 0.05 mA.
 5. The polarity independent or agnostic leakagecurrent detector of claim 4 wherein the notification notifies the userof when leakage current is detected between 0.05 mA and 6 mA.
 6. Thepolarity independent or agnostic leakage current detector of claim 3wherein the notification comprises an alert when leakage currentindicates an advance motor failure condition exists and an alarm when animminent motor failure condition exists.
 7. The polarity independent oragnostic leakage current detector of claim 6 wherein the alert is issuedwhen leakage current between about 0.05 mA and 6 mA is detected and thealarm issues when leakage current above 6 mA is detected.
 8. Thepolarity independent or agnostic leakage current detector of claim 3wherein the notification includes one or more of a display, a light, abuzzer, a speaker, and/or a communication circuit capable oftransmitting a communication advising of the notification.
 9. Thepolarity independent or agnostic leakage current detector of claim 8wherein the alarm includes a wireless communication circuit capable oftransmitting messages to the user advising of the notification.
 10. Thepolarity independent or agnostic leakage current detector of claim 9wherein the wireless communication circuit is configured to communicatevia at least one of wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi), Cellular, radio frequency(RF), infrared (IR), Bluetooth (BT), Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), Zigbeeand near field communication (NFC).
 11. The polarity independent oragnostic leakage current detector of claim 9 wherein the wirelesscommunication circuit is configured to communicate via a primaryinternet connection when available and via a secondary direct wirelessconnection when the primary internet connection is not available. 12.The polarity independent or agnostic leakage current detector of claim 1further comprising: a first switch for connecting the first primarywinding to one of the Line conductor or Neutral conductor; and a secondswitch for connecting the second primary winding to the other of theNeutral conductor or the Line conductor, wherein to operate the pumpboth the first switch and the second switch are closed and to test theleakage current one of the first switch and the second switch is open.13. The polarity independent or agnostic leakage current detector ofclaim 12 wherein the first switch comprises a relay switch in parallelwith a triac, wherein the first primary winding is capable of beingconnected to one of the Line conductor or Neutral conductor via at leastone of the relay switch and the triac.
 14. The polarity independent oragnostic leakage current detector of claim 13 further comprising atemperature sensor to monitor the temperature of the triac, wherein tooperate the motor or motor driven device the triac is switched on and,in response to a determination that the temperature of the triac hasexceeded a predetermined threshold, the relay switch is closed and thetriac is switched off to allow the triac to cool.
 15. The motor leakagecurrent detector of claim 1 wherein the current transformer furthercomprises: a first primary winding for electrical connection to the Linewire, a second primary winding for electrical connection to the Neutralwire, and a secondary winding for use with either the first primarywinding or the second primary winding depending on which wire is beingchecked by the current transformer for leakage current; a first switchfor connecting the first primary winding to the Line wire; and a secondswitch for connecting the second primary winding to the Neutralconductor, wherein to operate the pump both the first switch and thesecond switch are closed and to check the leakage current one of thefirst switch and the second switch is open.
 16. The motor leakagecurrent detector of claim 15 wherein the first switch comprises a relayswitch in parallel with a triac, wherein the first primary winding iscapable of being connected to one of the Line wire via at least one ofthe relay switch and the triac.
 17. The motor leakage current detectorof claim 16 further comprising a temperature sensor to monitor thetemperature of the triac, wherein to operate the motor or motor drivendevice the triac is switched on and, in response to a determination thatthe temperature of the triac has exceeded a predetermined threshold, therelay switch is closed and the triac is switched off to allow the triacto cool.
 18. A machinery failure early warning system comprising: amotor current leakage detector for connecting to machinery that iselectric motor driven; and a warning system for notifying a machineryoperator or supervisor of a machinery failure condition detected by themotor current leakage detector.
 19. A heat compensating circuitcomprising: a circuit for operating a motor driven device, the circuitincluding: a first switch for operating the motor driven deviceinitially; and a second switch for operating the motor driven devicewhen the first switch needs a break to address heat issues relating tosame.
 20. The heat compensating circuit of claim 19 wherein the firstswitch is a triac and the second switch is a relay, with the relay beingwired in parallel with the triac such that the relay may be activated toaddress heat issues related to the triac, but in such a way that therelay is not exposed to AC line voltage at startup operation of therelay.
 21. The heat compensating circuit of claim 20 wherein the relayis wired in parallel with the triac such that the relay is subject to astartup voltage associated with a voltage drop across the triac which isless than AC line voltage, and the relay offers a path of lessresistance as compared to the triac such that current will travelthrough the relay despite the triac remaining present in the circuit.